NURS FPX 4010 Assessment 4
Name
Capella University
FPX4010-Leading People, Processes, and Organizations
in Interprofessional Practice
Prof.
February, 2024
Hello, my name is Sophia. In this presentation, I will discuss the stakeholders involved in addressing the organizational issue of improving quality care and patient safety.
NURS FPX 4010 Assessment 4: Stakeholders Presentation
The proposed enhancement of the patient discharge process at City General Hospital will involve key stakeholders from various disciplines to address existing challenges and optimize patient outcomes. These stakeholders will include healthcare professionals such as physicians, Diabetes Specialist Nurses (DSNs), general nurses, pharmacists, and social workers, who are directly involved in patient care within the ICU and other departments. As primary decision-makers, administrative groups will collaborate with these clinicians to streamline processes and implement the proposed changes. In addition, external stakeholders like patients and their families and regulatory gatekeepers will play a significant role in the adoption and success of the proposed improvements.
The initiative aims to enhance the quality of care, reduce readmission rates, and improve overall patient and staff satisfaction by integrating the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle and evidence-based practices into the discharge planning protocols. Nurse leaders like Jane Doe will be instrumental in presenting the project and advocating for its implementation to ensure a patient-centric and efficient healthcare environment at the hospital. It is crucial to effectively communicate and gain buy-in for this plan to achieve these goals (Williams et al., 2023).
NURS FPX 4010 Assessment 4: Organizational Issue
The main issue that City General Hospital faces is the patient discharge process, which currently needs to be fixed. There is a need for better synchronization between the various departments involved in patient care. As a result, patients often face unnecessary delays in their discharge, leading to longer hospital stays and a higher chance of hospital readmissions (Ahmad et al., 2023). This inefficiency not only affects patient care and satisfaction but also burdens the hospital’s operational capacity and the well-being of its staff.
The Importance of Addressing the Discharge Process
Stakeholders, which include healthcare providers and hospital administrators, must prioritize resolving the discharge process issue. Efficient discharge planning directly impacts patient health outcomes, reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions. In addition, it is closely linked to a hospital’s financial performance, as ineffective discharge procedures can result in fines and penalties from healthcare regulators and lost revenue due to decreased patient throughput (Burden et al., 2023). Improving this process is synonymous with enhancing the overall quality of care, which is central to the hospital’s mission and reputation.
Strategies for Resource Management
To overcome the challenges City General Hospital faces, it is essential to implement strategic resource management. The human resources strategies must focus on enhancing staff development, training in multidisciplinary care coordination, and optimizing staff schedules to prevent burnout. On the other hand, the financial strategies should concentrate on reallocating budgets towards high-impact areas, such as investing in better discharge planning software or providing staff incentives for improved performance in patient care. The ultimate goal of these strategies should be to foster a healthy work environment and ensure the efficient utilization of human and financial resources to accomplish organizational objectives.
Implementation and Resource Management of the Interdisciplinary Plan
The interdisciplinary plan will be implemented in stages following the PDSA cycle. Initially, a pilot program will be conducted in one unit to allow for close monitoring and rapid iteration before expanding to other hospital areas. During the ‘Do’ phase, the interdisciplinary team will implement the proposed discharge procedures. In contrast, the ‘Study’ phase will critically analyze the outcomes to identify areas needing adjustment. Finally, in the ‘Act’ phase, the hospital will scale up the successful strategies hospital-wide (Williams et al., 2023).
To manage resources effectively throughout this implementation, City General Hospital will assign a leader to the interdisciplinary team responsible for overseeing and improving the discharge process. This leader will work closely with the financial department to ensure that the resources allocated to the project are used efficiently, focusing on achieving the best possible patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. Technology will facilitate communication and coordination between team members and patients. Regular assessments of the new procedures’ cost-effectiveness and return on investment will be conducted to maintain the hospital’s financial health.
Potential Consequences
The inefficiencies in the patient discharge process at City General Hospital could lead to various adverse consequences. Delayed discharges could lead to prolonged hospital stays, increasing the risk of hospital-acquired infections and reducing bed availability, affecting new admissions and emergency care. Increased workloads due to delayed discharges could demoralize the staff, leading to higher turnover rates. Patients may become dissatisfied with the service, resulting in negative public perceptions and decreased hospital ratings, affecting funding and revenue. Moreover, the discharge processes are not optimized. In that case, the hospital may experience higher readmission rates, often associated with financial penalties from healthcare regulators, further straining the hospital’s budget and resources.
NURS FPX 4010 Assessment 4: Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Plan
The evidence-based interdisciplinary plan devised to address the inefficiency in the patient discharge process at City General Hospital is anchored in collaborative care models that have been shown to improve outcomes and streamline hospital operations. Research published in the Journal of Healthcare Management suggests that multidisciplinary teamwork, particularly when led by a nurse coordinator, significantly reduces discharge times and enhances patient satisfaction. This plan will involve an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurses, social workers, and administrative staff. Each member will have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, with the baccalaureate-prepared nurse acting as the discharge coordinator.
The team will utilize the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle as a framework for continuous improvement, aligning with evidence-based practices highlighted in the American Journal of Nursing, which endorses the PDSA cycle for its effectiveness in implementing change in healthcare settings (Williams et al., 2023). To incorporate evidence-based practice, the team will regularly review current literature and guidelines from authoritative bodies, such as the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, to inform their interventions. For instance, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommends that implementing checklists and standardized communication protocols ensures all discharge criteria are met and information is accurately conveyed to patients and caregivers (Burden et al., 2023). Criteria for evaluating the project’s success will be based on evidence-based benchmarks, such as reduced average discharge times, lower readmission rates within 30 days, and improved patient satisfaction scores, as reported in quality improvement studies within the healthcare field. These metrics will be measured against baseline data collected before the plan’s implementation to quantify the degree of improvement achieved.
Implementation of the Interdisciplinary Plan and Management of Human and Financial Resources
Successfully executing the interdisciplinary discharge plan at City General Hospital would require thorough planning, coordination, and efficient resource management. The plan’s implementation would begin with forming an interdisciplinary team of various roles, such as discharge coordinators, care transition nurses, social workers, physicians, and administrative staff. Each team member would bring their unique expertise to the process, ensuring patients’ efficient and effective discharge.
Human Resources Management
To manage human resources effectively, we will assign specific roles to team members based on their competencies. This will ensure that an expert in that area oversees each step of the discharge process. For instance, the discharge coordinator, who should ideally be a nurse with experience in case management, will oversee the entire process. They will ensure that all parts of the interdisciplinary plan are executed effectively (Maggio et al., 2023). We can draw real-world examples from the Cleveland Clinic’s discharge protocol, which employs nurse navigators as the central point of contact for the discharge process. They coordinate care and communication between different departments and the patient.
Financial Resources Management
Financial resources will be allocated based on a budget considering the additional staffing needs, training, and technology required to support the plan. The strategy may include cost-saving measures such as utilizing telehealth for follow-up appointments to reduce readmissions (Hahn et al., 2024). For example, the Mayo Clinic’s implementation of a remote patient monitoring program has demonstrated a reduction in readmission rates, resulting in lower costs associated with readmissions.
Plan Implementation
The proposed interdisciplinary plan will be implemented in stages, beginning with a pilot program in one unit to test and refine the process. This approach will ensure that resource utilization and outcomes are carefully monitored. For instance, the pilot could target patients with high readmission risks, similar to Kaiser Permanente’s ‘Safe and Effective Care Transition’ program, providing focused interventions to guarantee a smooth transition from the hospital to home.
Continuous Monitoring and Adjustment
Continuous monitoring of human and financial resource utilization will be crucial to the plan’s success. Regular meetings will be scheduled to discuss progress and any obstacles, and adjustments will be made as needed (Jones et al., 2023). Training sessions will be included in the plan to ensure that the staff is up-to-date on the most current evidence-based practices related to discharge planning. Implementing the interdisciplinary plan at City General Hospital will be carried out systematically and systematically, utilizing human and financial resources efficiently while drawing from successful real-world examples of similar interventions in healthcare organizations.
Real-World Example
Real-world examples of successful interdisciplinary discharge planning can be found in various healthcare settings. For instance, the Cleveland Clinic has implemented a system where nurse navigators are central in coordinating patient discharges, resulting in more efficient processes and improved patient outcomes. Similarly, the Mayo Clinic has introduced a remote patient monitoring program that has significantly reduced readmission rates, demonstrating the effective use of technology in post-discharge care (Cadel et al., 2022). Kaiser Permanente’s ‘Safe and Effective Care Transition’ program focuses on high-risk patients, employing targeted interventions to smooth the transition from hospital to home. These examples demonstrate how the strategic use of interdisciplinary teams and innovative approaches can improve healthcare delivery and patient satisfaction.
Evidence-Based Criteria to Evaluate the Project
To evaluate the success of an interdisciplinary plan in healthcare, it’s important to establish evidence-based criteria, which should focus on various aspects of healthcare delivery and outcomes. This will provide a comprehensive assessment of the project’s impact. When evaluating the project’s success, the primary focus should be on clinical outcomes (Madsen et al., 2021). This involves measuring tangible changes in patient health outcomes, such as reductions in readmission rates, improvements in patient recovery times, or decreases in complication rates. These outcomes are direct indicators of the quality of care and can be compared against established benchmarks or historical data within the same organization.
Patient satisfaction is another critical measure of success. This can be assessed through surveys or other feedback mechanisms. High levels of patient satisfaction indicate effective patient-centered care and the quality of communication between patients and healthcare providers. This aspect highlights the project’s impact on the patient experience. Evaluating process efficiency is also essential. This includes analyzing improvements in the discharge process, such as reduced wait times and streamlined workflows among interdisciplinary team members (Cadel et al., 2021). Efficiency in these processes often leads to decreased hospital stays and better resource utilization, key indicators of a successful improvement project.
Another vital criterion is the assessment of team collaboration and communication. Effective collaboration and communication among interdisciplinary team members are fundamental for the success of any healthcare project. This can be measured through team surveys, interviews, or direct observation of team interactions. Resource utilization also plays a significant role in project evaluation (Weir et al., 2021). This involves analyzing changes in the utilization of human and financial resources. Efficient management of these resources is indicative of cost savings and better allocation of staff time, contributing to the overall efficiency of the healthcare system.
NURS FPX 4010 Assessment 4: Leading People, Processes, and Organizations
Moreover, compliance with best practices is an important criterion. This entails measuring adherence to evidence-based practices and protocols. Regular audits or reviews of patient care records can provide insights into how well the team follows established healthcare standards and guidelines. Lastly, utilizing established quality indicators relevant to the project’s goals, such as infection rates, medication errors, or patient safety incidents, provides a standardized way to evaluate quality and safety in patient care. When developing these criteria, referring to peer-reviewed research, best practice guidelines, and benchmarking data from similar healthcare organizations is essential. Recent literature from medical databases like PubMed, especially studies published post-2020, can provide the latest evidence and benchmarks necessary for a comprehensive and up-to-date project evaluation.
Conclusion
The proposed interdisciplinary plan at City General Hospital aims to improve the patient discharge process by using a collaborative and structured approach. The plan addresses critical organizational and patient care issues using a Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle. A baccalaureate-prepared nurse will lead this cycle and involve an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. This team-centric approach is designed to improve patient outcomes, enhance the quality of care, and ensure efficient use of human and financial resources. Not addressing the issues could lead to increased workloads, reduced staff numbers, suboptimal patient care, prolonged hospital stays, and patient dissatisfaction. The proposed plan is based on an evidence-based methodology incorporating best practices and discharge planning protocols (Burden et al., 2023). The emphasis is on improving patient care, operational efficiency, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
To implement this plan, it will be necessary to manage human and financial resources effectively. Real-world examples and best practices from similar healthcare initiatives will be used. The project’s success will be evaluated using evidence-based criteria, including improved clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, process efficiency, team collaboration, resource utilization, compliance with best practices, and quality indicators. Overall, this initiative represents a significant step towards achieving a more patient-centric, efficient, and collaborative healthcare environment at City General Hospital. It can serve as a model for other healthcare institutions facing similar challenges.
NURS FPX 4010 Assessment 4: References
Ahmad, W., Lim, Y., Hemmad, A., Telalagic, D., Partha, P., & Peter, P. (2023). Audit on delayed discharges for medically fit for-discharge patients. Future Healthcare Journal, 10(3), 117. https://doi.org/10.7861/fhj.10-3-s117
Burden, M., Keniston, A., Gundareddy, V. P., Kauffman, R., Keach, J. W., McBeth, L., Raffel, K. E., Rice, J. D., Washburn, C., & Kisuule, F. (2023). Discharge in the a.m.: A randomized controlled trial of physician rounding styles to improve hospital throughput and length of stay. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 18(4), 302–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.13060
Cadel, L., Sandercock, J., Marcinow, M. (2022). A qualitative study exploring hospital-based team dynamics in discharge planning for patients experiencing delayed care transitions in Ontario, BMC Health Serv Res, 22, 1472. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08807-4
Cadel, L., Guilcher, S. J. T., Kokorelias, K. M., Sutherland, J., Glasby, J., Kiran, T., & Kuluski, K. (2021). Initiatives for improving delayed discharge from a hospital setting: a scoping review. BMJ Open, 11(2). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044291
Hahn, B., Ball, T., Diab, W., Choi, C., Bleau, H., & Flynn, A. (2024). Utilization of a multidisciplinary hospital-based approach to reduce readmission rates. SAGE Open Medicine, 12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20503121241226591
Jones C., Austad K., Silver S, (2023). Patient perspectives of the hospital discharge process: A qualitative study. Journal of Patient Experience.10. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735231171564
Madsen, N. L., Porter, A., Cable, R., Hanke, S. P., Hoerst, A., Neogi, S., Brower, L. H., White, C. M., & Statile, A. M. (2021). Improving discharge efficiency and charge containment on a pediatric acute care cardiology unit. Pediatrics, 148(3). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-004663
Maggio, L. A., Costello, J. A., Ninkov, A. B., Frank, J. R., & Artino, A. R., Jr (2023). Expanding Interdisciplinarity: A bibliometric study of medical education using the medical education journal list-24 (MEJ-24). Perspectives on Medical Education, 12(1), 327–337. https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.984
Weir, B. S., Vordtriede, C., Lee, J. E., Metter, E. J., & Talbot, L. A. (2021). An interdisciplinary dashboard to streamline medication processing at patient discharge: A quality improvement initiative. military medicine, usab526. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab526Williams, B., Doran Shelley, P., Patel, V., Prothro, C., & Reynolds, S. S. (2023). Using PDSA cycles to improve oral care compliance. American Journal of Infection Control, 51(1), 110–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2022.05.006
